1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to vinyl fencing systems. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus for mounting a picket to a rail. Specifically, the invention relates to a mounting apparatus for securing a picket to an angled rail and which includes a spring-biased retaining member which engages an outer surface of the picket when it is received in an aperture in the mounting apparatus.
2. Background Information
It has become more common in recent years to use vinyl materials for constructing fences and railings because of the material's low maintenance needs and durability. While vinyl fencing is aesthetically pleasing and easy to maintain, the material poses somewhat of a problem for the contractor who must connect the various components together. One of the more problematic areas is the connection of vertical pickets to an angled rail. Railings are typically constructed by installing the bottom rail first, mounting the pickets into the bottom rail, and then connecting the railing together by way of a top handrail or guardrail. The pickets are received into spaced apart apertures which are cut into a side of the bottom rail and a side of the handrail. The installer must estimate the size aperture to be cut into the sides of the rails. If the railing in question is mounted on a deck, this estimation is relatively simply as the aperture can be made to approximately the same dimensions as the picket itself because the picket will be oriented at right angles to the bottom and top rails. However, if the railing is to be mounted at an angle alongside a set of steps, the size of the apertures is more difficult to estimate. This is because the final angle of each picket relative to the rail may not be the angle that the installer used to determine the size of the aperture. Consequently, the installer may overestimate or underestimate the size of the aperture. If the latter occurs, then a larger aperture will have to be cut into the railing, thus adding to the time it takes to install the railing. If the former occurs, then the picket may not be tightly received in the railing and may wobble therein and this tends to give the impression that the railing was poorly constructed. Additionally, it is time consuming to estimate the size aperture for each individual picket, and this increase in installation time adds to the cost of the fencing.
There is therefore a need in the art for an improved method and apparatus for the quick and easy installation of pickets into railings.